Cue straightness - what is important?

[poolguppy]

I can kinda see both sides of this, I bought my last cue brand new from the maker and first roll there was an obvious wobble(and for a brand new cue i would expect pretty darn straight), tip lifted off the table the thickness of a dime, i was kind of urked, but never for a minute thought that should warrant a refund or made me not want the cue, but he did actually offer a full refund. if its the cue you want you'll deal with it. Ive played with severely warped cues before and long as the tip was good never had a problem with them. does he claim both shafts have a wobble? in your case it does kind of sound like buyers remorse IMO, especially with your itrader record. Also very possible the difference in humidity had an affect....but if you live in a humid area you should come to expect that id think. Mine was made in a humid area and after couple months of shooting here in Oregon it has almost completely straightened itself out. hope all ends well

 

[Pre-Flag Master]

I buy New Preditor blank shafts that show light in the middle of the shafts...

Seems like a lot of people are confused about the light showing in the middle of the shaft vs. *variance* of light showing in the middle of the shaft when a cue is rolled. Unless a cue literally has a constant taper - no slope change from tip to butt - then it's not possible for all points along the length to be resting on the table. OF COURSE there will be light showing through - in the middle of the shaft. This is no reason to expect a refund.

I believe *variance* of light showing - in the middle of the shaft - when a cue is rolled, is what people are referring to when they use the term "taper roll". I don't think I have ever seen a cue that doesn't have some degree of taper roll, no matter how slight. What degree of taper roll constitutes warpage? I don't know if that can be defined, but I can tell what I would be comfortable with when I saw it. The issue here for me is not a concern that the tip and joint aren't on the same center, but that if the taper roll variance is too great, it could "move the stroke" off to the side as the shaft moved through my bridge hand. Again, I'm not saying I know how much variance it would take to cause that. It seems like it might be a lot. But then again, we all know that pool is a game of millimeters and small errors can make a big difference.

As for the tip or joint lifting when rolled, to me, that constitutes warpage, and absolutely none is acceptable as far as I am concerned. If my eye can perceive any lift whatsoever, in good light, I would not buy the cue. First off it seems to me that any error here would be magnified more than error from taper roll. Secondly, it seems to me that a cue with wood that is moving at the ends, is more likely to get worse over time than a cue with wood that is moving in the middle, but who's ends are staying on the same center. Maybe the cue makers here can let me know if this last point makes sense.

EDIT: One more point. From what wisdom I have gleaned from this forum, the age of a cue doesn't imply any greater or lesser expectations in terms of a cue's current condition. In other words, an old cue might still be perfectly straight. But a different old cue might be warped. It strictly depends on the individual cue. I think a buyer should not make any assumptions about a cue's straightness based on age. Nor should a seller be any less descriptive about a cue's straightness based on age. One good thing though, is that if an old cue is still straight after all those years, then that is obviously a positive because it will likely stay straight.

Fatz

 

[RRfireblade]

Seems like a lot of people are confused about the light showing in the middle of the shaft vs. *variance* of light showing in the middle of the shaft when a cue is rolled. Unless a cue literally has a constant taper - no slope change from tip to butt - then it's not possible for all points along the length to be resting on the table. OF COURSE there will be light showing through - in the middle of the shaft. This is no reason to expect a refund.

I believe *variance* of light showing - in the middle of the shaft - when a cue is rolled, is what people are referring to when they use the term "taper roll". I don't think I have ever seen a cue that doesn't have some degree of taper roll, no matter how slight. What degree of taper roll constitutes warpage? I don't know if that can be defined, but I can tell what I would be comfortable with when I saw it. The issue here for me is not a concern that the tip and joint aren't on the same center, but that if the taper roll variance is too great, it could "move the stroke" off to the side as the shaft moved through my bridge hand. Again, I'm not saying I know how much variance it would take to cause that. It seems like it might be a lot. But then again, we all know that pool is a game of millimeters and small errors can make a big difference.

As for the tip or joint lifting when rolled, to me, that constitutes warpage, and absolutely none is acceptable as far as I am concerned. If my eye can perceive any lift whatsoever, in good light, I would not buy the cue. First off it seems to me that any error here would be magnified more than error from taper roll. Secondly, it seems to me that a cue with wood that is moving at the ends, is more likely to get worse over time than a cue with wood that is moving in the middle, but who's ends are staying on the same center. Maybe the cue makers here can let me know if this last point makes sense.

EDIT: One more point. From what wisdom I have gleaned from this forum, the age of a cue doesn't imply any greater or lesser expectations in terms of a cue's current condition. In other words, an old cue might still be perfectly straight. But a different old cue might be warped. It strictly depends on the individual cue. I think a buyer should not make any assumptions about a cue's straightness based on age. Nor should a seller be any less descriptive about a cue's straightness based on age. One good thing though, is that if an old cue is still straight after all those years, then that is obviously a positive because it will likely stay straight.

Fatz

Doesn't matter whether it wobbles or not, when you set your bridge and aim, the tip will return to that exact spot regardless of what the shaft does in the middle of the stroke. Unless your moving your bridge and or erratically twisting the cue mid stroke....both bigger problems than bent stick.

 

[maha]

the straighter the stick the better. and a cue that is warped is probably worth somewhat less than one that isnt. not rocket science. so if selling you need to disclose any defects to the buyer or you are setting yourself up for a bad reputation even if you think it doesnt matter.